Alex Morgan has established herself as one of the faces of U.S. Soccer, but she is ready to tackle another challenge in 2017.
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The U.S. Women’s National Team striker has signed a six-month contract with French giants Olympique Lyonnais after having played in the U.S. for her entire professional career to date.
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“A ton went into making this decision,” Morgan told SI.com. “Being in Orlando, I feel like I have the ideal setup with my husband [Servando Carrasco] playing for the same club [ownership] that I play for. We’re really happy with that. But at the same time I felt like I had to follow my gut, and my gut was telling me I needed to explore something to continue to help evolve myself as a player and challenge myself a little bit more.”
Morgan, 27, is expected to return to NWSL side Orlando Pride at the conclusion of the spell in France after June 1, 2017, however, the USWNT striker isn’t under contract with NWSL come the new year so she would have to sign a new deal.
The USWNT attacker will potentially be eligible to finish the French domestic season for Lyon, while also competing in the women’s UEFA Champions League.
Lyon will take on Germany side Wolfsburg when the Champions League resumes action in March.
